


In Sickness and in Health

by Soveris, Squishy (BurbleJerry)



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Male My Unit | Byleth, Post-Game(s), Post-Time Skip, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:14:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22037638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soveris/pseuds/Soveris, https://archiveofourown.org/users/BurbleJerry/pseuds/Squishy
Summary: Byleth is sick, so Claude takes a day off to look after him. The new couple talk about things and comfort each other.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 6
Kudos: 104





	In Sickness and in Health

Claude was rather proud of himself, all things considered. He managed to climb the flights of stairs to the top floor without dropping his basket of supplies. Not that he was a clumsy man, but he did find himself more distracted than usual. He wandered down the hall to the Archbishop’s room and knocked, casually calling out, “Room service! You awake in there, Byleth?”

“Yes…” came the reply, a cracked and hoarse-sounding try at a yell, from beyond the door. Byleth’s attempt to at least sound composed ended in a cough that continued to scratch at his throat. He turned his head towards the door, disheveled hair falling into his eyes, as messy as he felt. His body ached, varying from moment to moment, and it felt like someone had shoved a rather large cloud into his head. Byleth sat up with a measure of effort, grunting as it took far more strength than he had at the moment to do so. “Come in…”

Claude shifted his heavy basket to one arm and managed to get the door open, having to quickly hold the basket in both arms again and use his shoulder to open the door. “Oof, you look as bad as you sound,” he commented as he lightly kicked the door shut, his words earning a chuckle from the sick professor. “Luckily for you, I brought a bunch of stuff to help. Before you ask, don’t worry, I don’t have anything pressing to do today,” he added with a wink. After all, he’d delegated several stacks of papers and some meetings to his Leicester friends, so he had the day free. They’d been more understanding than he expected; maybe he shouldn’t have been so surprised. He shook his head to clear away the thought; he had a Byleth to help out, after all.

“Anyways,” Claude said as he wandered over, “you just take it easy, and let your adoring partner help you.” He hooked his ankle around a chair leg and pulled it over to Byleth’s bedside, where he set down the basket. Within were several items, all chosen to help someone laid low by a cold or flu. “First up is medicine. I know, the worst part, but let’s get it over with,” he said while he poured out a bit of the viscous liquid in a cup, offering it to Byleth.

Despite the usual quiet stoicism, Byleth’s nose scrunched up a bit. Being his first real experience with medicine that he could remember, the taste left much to be desired. He cleared his throat and muttered, “Alright.” Tipping his head back he swallowed the contents as swiftly as possible. The taste gave him an unpleasant shudder despite his best efforts to spare his tongue the taste. “Thank you, Claude,” Byleth said as he wiped his lips, “Even if it tastes terrible.”

“Thank Manuela for that stuff, not me,” Claude joked with a casual smile, but there was a hint of worry in his eyes. “So, hungry yet? You haven’t eaten much today, from what I hear, and we can’t have that.”

Byleth shook his head. “Not terribly. Though I probably should. My stomach isn’t as rebellious as it was yesterday.”

“That’s good to hear,” Claude hummed as he pulls some warm soup from the basket. “Do you need any help eating today?” he asked with a glance at Byleth as if concerned the man will fall over from his bedside. “You were pretty shaky yesterday, after all.”

“I still am…” Byleth admitted and leaned back to rest on the propped up pillow, “But it’s a bit better now with rest.” Byleth held up a pale hand, shaking minimal compared to when he first fell ill. “I think I can at least hold a spoon properly.” He glanced at his blankets sheepishly. “Thank you… for bringing me all of this, Claude. It’s very sweet of you.” The professor smiled brighter than before.

“Hey, I’m just glad I have the time to do this.” Claude waved a hand as if waving off the praise, but he couldn’t hide the light blushing it gave him. “And I’m glad you waited until the war was over to get sick,” he added while handing Byleth the spoon. He set the warm bowl down in Byleth’s lap for him. “Anyways, it’s no trouble. I really am free all day today, so you’ll get to look at my handsome face as much as you like.”

Byleth’s eyebrows rose faintly as he held the spoon in a deceptively fragile-looking hand. “All day? Truly? You didn’t have to…” the professor’s wavering voice trailed off, then returned, “You’re spoiling me, Claude.” He chuckled softly with a deep fondness in his light green eyes. Stirring the soup, Byleth experimentally tasted a spoonful. The warmth helped soothe his throat and brought some life back into him, stomach realizing just how hungry it was after grumbling about food for the past couple of days.

“After everything you’ve done for me, and everyone else? You deserve a little spoiling.” Claude pulled up another chair so that he could sit back, and used a foot to nudge the other chair, with its basket of comfort items, closer to Byleth. Then he kicked his feet up on the edge of Byleth’s bed and leaned back, making the front legs of his chair lift off the ground a little. “Speaking of, you need anything else? More blankets or pillows, anything like that?”

Byleth shook his head, nursing his bowl of soup in earnest now. “No, not really. Maybe a change of clothes. I’ve noticed when one is sick they tend to feel a bit… gross, for lack of a better word.” Byleth admitted. “...I suppose a bath too, at some point. The steam may help my head,” he added as an inconvenient spell of lightheadedness almost made him spill a spoonful of soup into his lap. “Truthfully, I’m just glad you took the time to visit me.” His pale cheeks colored a bit as another smile spread onto his face.

Claude looked away, letting his gaze roam over the state of Byleth’s room. “Clothes, I can get you. The baths are a bit large, I’m not sure they’ll fit in here, but we’ll figure something out,” he joked, his smile more genuine then he intended. “Besides, I know you’ve been getting visits from my former classmates, so it wouldn’t do if I didn’t make an appearance, too.” His fingers drummed against his arm before he looked back to Byleth, smile somewhat faded. “You know, I haven’t had a lot of people who worry about me so much, or vice versa. It’ll take some getting used to. But I promised you I’d try.”

Byleth swallowed a spoonful of soup and let the spoon sit in the bowl. His hand rested on what part of Claude’s leg he could reach. “Claude, that’s all I could ever ask for, really. You do your best, and that’s all you need to.” His smile softened, warm despite his unwell appearance. “Besides, you will always have me to worry about you,” he said, humor seeping into the genuine tone of his voice.

“That’s a pretty kind way of putting it,” Claude murmurs while looking down at Byleth’s hand upon his leg. “Hmm. Always, huh?” He gently moved his feet off the bed, only to scoot his chair closer and take careful hold of Byleth’s hand. His thumb rubbed gentle circles atop Byleth’s cold fingers. “That’s a big promise, but you have a habit of making the impossible possible. I don’t think I’d totally believe it, from anyone else. Almost anyone else,” he amended quickly with a brief, sheepish, return of his smile. “You know, when I asked people to take over for me today, they didn’t mind at all. Weirdest thing. Even Lorenz was just, ‘it’s no trouble, Claude, just make sure the Professor is taking it easy’. Makes a guy want to stick around, even if he didn’t have someone to stay with.”

Byleth gripped Claude’s hand weakly as if that could will him to stay all on its own. “That is because, as difficult as it may be to believe, people do like you. We like you, Claude.” He brushed some hair from his face with his free hand. “And I will indeed always be there no matter what.” He coughed, hand on the bowl to keep any soup from spilling. “I think at this point we all would be willing to stick by you.” He laid back against the pillow again as the irritation in his chest subsided.

“You say ‘like’, but I think you mean ‘trust’,” Claude replied softly. He gave Byleth’s hand a gentle squeeze in return. “Hey, don’t worry. I’m sticking around until things settle down everywhere in Fodlan, not just here at the monastery. Maybe I’ll be more used to it by then, who knows?” He glanced at the bowl and smiled, genuine. “Hey, you should finish that before it gets cold. How about I just catch you up on things, instead of distracting you with all of my inner angsty turmoil?”

“I like you,” Byleth said in a soft voice. His other hand picked up the spoon now that his dominant one was busy being held by Claude. “I’d appreciate that, yes. I’ve barely been retaining most information with the mess that my head is in right now.”

Claude felt his blush deepen and chuckled to cover it, “Well, ok, like -and- trust, then. I guess it’d ruin the point if you didn’t like me, huh? Good thing I like and trust you, too,” he ended on a murmur and, after a moment, he leaned over to press a kiss against Byleth’s too-warm cheek before letting go of his hand. “Ok. You get comfortable while Claude here catches you up on all the latest news, important or otherwise.” He winked.

Almost returning the kiss, Byleth thought better of potentially subjecting Claude to days of bedrest and miserable patterns of coughing, sneezing, and general lethargy. He settled for the briefest of nuzzles in turn before finishing his soup in a few more hearty bites and letting Claude move it to the nightstand next to the bed. “Of course. I’m certainly not going anywhere.” Byleth smiled and settled himself back into bed, attention on Claude even as tiredness threatened to make him doze off. He resolved to at least listen for as long as his body allowed.

“Too true. Besides, if you miss any of this, we can just remind you when you feel better,” Claude purred as he leans back in his chair again. “Let’s see… well, let’s get the political stuff out of the way first. So, you wouldn’t believe what Duke Gloucester did yesterday…” he began, catching Byleth up on everything the poor, sick fellow had missed. If his voice became softer, if his expression gentled, just being around Byleth, then nobody else was there to see it, and Claude would be just fine with that.

**Author's Note:**

> Squishy: Thank you for reading! Please leave a kudos and/or comment if you enjoyed! If you like my work, then please consider checking out my personal/writing https://twitter.com/Squishy_Jerry !


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